BPA update in California

Good news out of California as they begin the slow march toward removing Bisphenol-A (BPA) from the lives of Californians.

Proposition 65 is a law that was passed by California voters in 1986. Under this law, the government must publish a list of chemicals that causer cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm. Businesses must then alert citizens if they are exposed to significant amounts of these chemicals.

It was announced last week that the California Environmental Protection Agency has started the process to add BPA to the list of chemicals.

This is a move in the right direction. "A Prop. 65 listing will be one more nail in the coffin of this highly toxic chemical," said Gretchen Lee Salter of the Breast Cancer Fund.

Last year, the California legislature failed to pass a ban keeping BPA out of children’s food and drink products. The Toxin Free Toddlers and Babies Act (SB 797) by Senator Fran Pavley would ban the use of BPA in food and beverage containers for children under three years old. The bill is still awaiting a vote on the Assembly floor which will happen later this year.

In a press release last month, Senator Pavley mentioned "battling powerful chemical industry to try to restrict the use of BPA."

We were reminded of that powerful industry this weekend, as a report from the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reports a meeting which took place between the powerful American Chemistry Council and high level officials in the Obama administration. After this meeting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seemed to back off of a tough stance against BPA, saying it won't develop a new tougher regulatory plan for the chemical for at least two years, according to the Journal-Sentinel.

It's time to take action on BPA. More than 200 scientific studies have linked BPA to known health effects including impaired brain and reproductive development in unborn babies, miscarriage in pregnant women, diabetes, obesity and cancer. Populations that are particularly vulnerable to BPA are infants, children and pregnant women.

You can take action against BPA and other toxic chemicals by telling congress that reforming the nation’s toxics law will make American people healthier and wealthier. Do this at Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families.